This invention relates to the preparation of n-butyl methacrylate directly from the esterification of methacrylic acid and n-butyl alcohol.
N-butyl methacrylate is conveniently prepared by a transesterification reaction. However, it would be advantageous to prepare n-butyl methacrylate by direct esterification because it provides a more efficient, higher capacity process, i.e., a higher production rate process. But, it is difficult to separate the product from methacrylic acid reactant because of their similar boiling points. Therefore, it would be desirable to find a practical and economical method of directly esterifying methacrylic acid and n-butanol.